Bang
by Eien Historia
Summary: It's been a strange sort of day, and now a gunshot and a ruined gigai have just made it all the stranger.


**Title: Bang**

**Series/Characters: Bleach – Kurosaki Ichigo and Hitsugaya Toushirou**

**Rating: T**

**Words: 738**

**Summary: It's been a strange sort of day, and now a gunshot and a ruined gigai have just made it all the stranger. **

**Forewarning: Minor inconsistencies (I hope) with canon and OOC as author has only seen to the very beginning of Arrancar Arc. Supposed to have general feel of weird, strangeness which I hopefully achieved. **

**Bang**

He had been doing nothing more than wandering down the street. He was dilly dallying in his return from an unwanted errand, night having already slipped over Karakura Town. Ichigo hefted the grocery bags to another hold and continued his delayed return in no apparent hurry, not that many were about in the area to notice him. He was on a back street for the moment, taking a long winding path. Up a head the substitute shinigami could see the brighter lights of the main road and its few twenty four hour shops. The lights were gradual but nonetheless the male squinted when the little alley connected to the main road, almost out of annoyance more than anything.

It could be said he was in some foul mood of sorts, one that had been lasting most of the day. Ichigo had been hoping that sleep and the subsequent end of his day would take care of his funk, and his food errand hand only set him back a while. Rather than cause his family to face his annoyance completely, he'd hatched the plan to take a very long time on returning. 'Cooling his head' would have to be the excuse he'd force them to take before disappearing to the safety of his bed.

He turned on to the main road back to the old clinic and carefully avoided the few people he met out on the sidewalk, giving the widest berth to a happily fawning couple. Upon hitting the corner of the street, Ichigo was forced to admit that he couldn't put off returning much longer. Nonetheless he glanced about at the shops before even contemplating crossing the road and continuing on his way. He vaguely noted the convenience store to his left was the first he had attempting to shop at earlier, only to have no luck, before he stepped off into the cross walk.

He made it three steps before the gun shots rang out.

By the time he turned back, broken from his mindless reverie, the shooter had made his way down a similar alley as Ichigo had left. Quickly the male felt drawn into the small shop. Even at the door way he could spot the cliché of a hand near slowly pooling blood coming from behind the counter. It hit him that the only employee on shift was probably dying as he stopped gawking stupidly.

He didn't make it to the counter before he was stopped again. This time it was by the sight of a familiar bob of white hair. He turned rather stunned to face one Hitsugaya Toushirou who stood before one now very ruined gigai.

"Holy shit Toushirou…" he spoke before he thought. Then with the strangeness seemingly shattered he turned his attention back to the clerk.

"He's already dead. His soul simply had not shown yet." Ichigo turned back to the small captain trying to put the pieces of what had happened as he crossed the street. The strangeness was returning with every second.

His eyes were glued to a very noticeable bullet wound in the gigai's temple, his stomach suddenly giving a small revolt because of the resemblance it bore to the captain whose soul now stood before it in some kind of daze.

"How did you…?" It took Hitsugaya a moment to realize he'd been spoken to. He turned his blue green eyes on to the other before speaking.

"I managed to force myself out of the body a moment before." Ichigo moved closer, eyes still stuck on the motionless gigai.

"Why were you even here-…why the hell did he shoot at you?"

"What the Soul Society sent me down here for had me here for a moment. I was going to move on when the robber came in, he didn't notice me. But the other man looked over for a moment and then-"

"You were both shot?"

"Correct."

"Toushirou…" there was a suspicious lack of reaction to the use of his given name yet again, "how's it feel to 'die' a second time?"

Hitsugaya again took a moment to answer the other shinigami. A siren started up in the distance before he did, finally peeling Ichigo's eyes from the bloody wound of the Hitsugaya look alike. He looked to the window before looking to the shinigami himself.

Hitsugaya made no eye contact, remaining frozen to the sight of his gigai, before whispering,

"It's quite …strange."

I know there may be some problems with actual canon, what can and can't be yadda yadda yadda. I couldn't pass up the strange little plot bunny, even when it meant being up an extra hour and a half one night. I just had to.


End file.
